Winds of Destiny
by Green Arrow Girl
Summary: Tollie: After sending Oliver packing in "Committed," Tess finds out she's pregnant and is forced to reconsider her past as she prepares for the future. AU after "Committed". INDEFINITE HIATUS R/R!
1. Prologue

~_Winds of Destiny_~

_**Title: **__Winds of Destiny  
__**Ship: **__Tess/Oliver aka Tollie  
__**Spoilers: **__Season 8 all the way, mostly after "Committed"  
__**Summary/Teaser: ** __After sending Oliver packing in "Committed," Tess' one night of passion becomes much more than she ever would have imagined; she's pregnant. With the fate of LuthorCorp and everything she holds so dear on the line, she will be forced to do the one thing she never expected. A story simply about fate and love lost. __AU after the events of Committed._  
_**Disclaimer: **__I am but a meager student making meager wages. I do not own Smallville, Tess, or Oliver (though a girl can wish), they are owned by the CW, WB, and all the others and I take no claim for anything in this piece of fiction. It is entirely for entertainment purposes, and from the depths of my mind._

A/N: I have to give a shoutout to both Violet-Shadow & b4_Dawn_101 who wrote the original Tollie Fics...thanks for the inspiration! I hope you enjoy! I really would love reviews; the good, the bad, the ugly; it doesn't matter to me. Please, I just want to know whether or not I should keep going :) The first couple of chapters are on the short side, but I'm working on getting lengthier as I become more inspired. Suggestions are wonderful too! Now on to the show.

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**Prologue: **

Tess could do nothing but stare blankly. She couldn't move; couldn't breathe. It took every ounce of will power simply to blink even as it shook in her hand. Two blinks lines blurred her thoughts; consumed every ounce of energy in her. Pregnant; it couldn't even be possible. Her green eyes simply stared at it in her hands for the third time in less that an hour before she tossed it into the garbage can and dropped to the floor. This couldn't be happening to her. Not now of all times. Not when she had so much to do; so much to push forward towards. Especially not now, especially considering whom the last person she'd slept with had been.

She ran a hand through her hair before breaking down into sobs. She tucked her legs as tightly against her, willing this all to be some horrible joke. She simply wanted Ashton to jump out and tell her she'd been Punk'd. _Damn him, damn him too hell. _

After years of moving on, trying to forget how much he'd hurt her, after dumping his beautiful, rich ass after, quite frankly taking advantage of the situation they'd been maneuvering through, she couldn't seem to escape the man. And now, of all things, she was pregnant; pregnant with god-damn Oliver Queen's spawn. If thing's couldn't get any worse this week. She'd killed someone, had no new leads on who X was or where in the world Lex was, and now, of all things, she was pregnant.

The world would quietly begin falling down around her she imagined. It wasn't as though anyone at LuthorCorp wanted her there anyways, and all of them had pitchforks and torches, waiting and biding there time until they had some reason to get rid of her. This was going to be it. Word would spread quickly. Of course, she'd keep it out the Planet, seeing as everything ran through her, but it wouldn't stop the rest of the world from flashing the headlines until ultimately the truth would be revealed. Eventually they'd run her out; brand her a traitor; a sell out.

That was unless she never told him. She never had to tell Oliver. The papers and press would be suspicious. Potentially, it could be a horrible PR day; unless they sought pity for the red haired CEO of Metropolis' hometown corporation. But she never had to tell him. It wasn't as though he would even suspect that it was his. At least if fortune gave her luck.

None of her thoughts came out straight; they were all muddled and ridden in her mind. Looking up, Tess stared into the full mirror on the door. Her makeup was smudged; mascara trailed down her cheek. Her hair was in complete disarray and her green eyes simply stared back in pained shock. What had she become? She was Tess Mercer; Lex's own personal protégé; the future of LuthorCorp. Yet here she was, crying on the floor, all over a mistake; one stupid mistake that would officially screw up everything. That wasn't how she was supposed to act, to perform. She could hear the phone ringing angrily outside the door; calling for her to get up and get back to work. She stood up slowly, using the wall as support while she quickly patched up her makeup and cleared her face. The life of a CEO never was finished, and it most defiantly wouldn't quit because of her own personal problems.

Taking a lasting glance into the mirror, she opened the door, knowing full well what was next. A trip to Metropolis General was in her future.

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Any takers? :D


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Same as always, I don't own anything, and I take no credit for it. Everything, except Tess' soon to be baby, is owned by their respective owners.

**Chapter One: **

"Congratulation Ms. Mercer," the Doctor said, flipping through his charts quietly before giving her a small smile, "You're pregnant."

_Damn._

"I'm aware," she stated quietly, looking down at the floor, her ankles crossed and her hands ghost white as she clenched her fists together tightly behind the scope of the hospital gown, out of the view of the doctor.

"How far along?"

He flipped through his charts, "About 5 weeks."

She nodded, feeling a pang of anger and guilt rushing through her body. She was going to kill him.

"Everything looks good though. You're a very healthy woman, and as far as I'm concerned, I believe you are all set. Here's a card to an OB doctor; she's one of the best Metropolis has."

"I do have your complete assurance that this will all remain…_private?_"

"Of course; Patient confidentiality is of the utmost importance here."

Tess took the card, flicking it in her fingers as she managed to give the man a smirk and a quick handshake, "Thank you Doctor Johnson."

"Not a problem; and congratulations again, I'm sure whoever the lucky man is will be extremely excited back home."

_Wishful thinking. _

Tess said nothing until he left. She quickly redressed and exited the hospital from a private back entrance that they'd arranged for her to use. Her driver picked her up without questions, letting her in, as she continued to flick the card between her fingertips.

"Where to ma'am?"

"LuthorCorp."

"Right away."

She pushed the button to give her privacy and quiet from the prying eyes and ears of the driver. A final resolution had come to mind. Karma was coming back to get her. She never was a firm believer of 'what goes around, comes around' but considering everything she'd had to do in the past few months since coming to Metropolis, and now with this, she was slowly finding it might have been the truth. Someone up there wanted her to suffer.

Her eyes returned the card before she crushed it in her hands, groaning angrily as the car slowed. Today was going to be the start of one long day, and the start of a very, very long 35 weeks.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Same as always, I don't own anything, and I take no credit for it. Everything, except Tess' soon to be baby, is owned by their respective owners.

A/N: Seeing as Chapter One was short, here's Chapter Two for your enjoyment. As always, looking for reviews :)

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**Chapter Two: **

"Get out," she yelled, slamming the door in the face of the young intern, with enough force to blow her hair about awkwardly. His face showed nothing but straight fear; hers emblazoned with hormonal anger. She could hear chatter from outside the door, but it didn't bother her in the least. Her stomach took a quick turn and she found herself quickly in her private bathroom, cursing her body for doing this to her; cursing her own stupidity for letting herself get into this.

Tess rinsed her mouth out, staring into the mirror at her pale faced double before stepping back into the office, straightening out her blouse before sitting down, resting her head in her hands; massaging her temples gently. A groan escaped her lips as a gentle knock tapped against her door.

"What now?"

The door opened and her assistant Kat appeared, "Miss Mercer is everything ok?"

"Of course Kat, why wouldn't everything be ok," she retorted grumpily, her eyes still closed and fingers gently rotating circles against her skin, "Have my schedule cleared."

"But you're..."

"It can wait," she blurted, looking up with a grimace of pain and anger, "Clear my schedule and take anything important and bring it to the Mansion this evening. I'm leaving."

The woman stood motionless as Tess pulled on her coat, "If you call me for anything other than Doomsday, than you'll be finding a new job by sundown."

"Yes ma'am."

Tess slipped out and slammed the door, moving quickly into the elevator to avoid the obvious gazes from the employees. She yanked the door open to the Porsche and turned it on, bounding from the parking garage into traffic. She had to get this over with. The past few nights, she had barely slept; thinking about it constantly despite the immense amount of work that piled her up on her desk. The drive was quick and her car was soon parked and locked in the Parking Garage of Queen Industries. Her heels clicked as she swiftly moved through the bustling atrium. All eyes seemed to be on her as she pushed into an elevator, but she paid them no mind.

"I need to see Mr. Queen..._now._"

"He's...in a meeting ma'am."

Tess raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms across her chest, "Tell him that the CEO of LuthorCorp wants to see him."

The secretary quietly stood up and disappeared through a doorway. Several minutes passed before the woman finally returned.

"He'll see you Miss Mercer."

"Good."

Tess heels clicked angrily, matching her mood as she stepped into the spacious Penthouse and huffed past the secretary. Oliver stepped down, a look of surprise obvious on his face as she stopped near the center of the room.

"Mercy? Wasn't expecting to see you anytime soon," he said quietly, shuffling through items on his desk. He was avoiding her gaze, she noted. She took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves and complete urge to swing at him with every ounce of force she could manage, "Especially not here."

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't have reason," she spat without thought. Oliver raised an eyebrow and edged slowly towards her. Another deep breath escaped her lips. A hint of concern etched across his face.

"What is it?"

Every part of her felt like falling apart. It didn't matter that this was Oliver; and that he'd hurt her, she'd hurt him. She wanted to cry, or scream, or something. Slapping him seemed like the option. _Hormones; why must you torment me? _Why was he looking at her like that? He wasn't supposed to care about how she felt, especially considering she'd dropped him like a bad habit five weeks prior

"I'm pregnant," she said somberly, barely louder than a whisper. Her eyes dropped to the ground. All the fury that had been pent up (and released on several unsuspecting interns throughout the morning) melted.

"You're...pregnant?"

"No Oliver," she blurted, her body quivering, "I just came over here to screw with you."

Turning around, she pulled an envelope out of her pocket, "I don't want anything, and I just figured you deserved to know; considering it's half yours."

He was close to her; close enough for her to feel his breath on her neck. It sent chills up her back and shook her to the core. She spun around and shoved the envelope against his chest, "...and I don't expect anything from you."

Oliver took the letter awkwardly from her fingers as she began to walk away. The look of surprise was ingrained into her thoughts.

"That's it then? You're just going to leave like that. How do you even...?"

"Considering you're the last person I've slept with Oliver, it sort of narrows down the options don't you think?"

She smirked, "And besides, leaving; it's practically the only thing the two of us are good at, right? Might as well not ruin a good thing."

He rolled his eyes at the comment, shoving his hands into his pockets. Tess only frowned before turning around and leaving. She'd done it; might not have been the way she'd intended, but it was over; at least for now.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Same as always, I don't own anything, and I take no credit for it.

**A/N:** b4_Dawn 101- Thanks for the reviews *hugs* I'm glad your enjoying it. And to the people reading this, thanks for visiting. But seriously I really like reviews; it doesn't even have to be long or anything. Heck, you can even tell me how much Tess and Ollie don't belong together :) I don't mind. This Chapter is from Oliver's POV with a little flashback in _italics_. The next chapter will be two parter, switching POV's between the two *shrugs* you'll get it when I post it.

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**Chapter Three: **

Oliver couldn't contain his curiosity. He had to see her. She had every right to walk away, and he had every right to completely ignore her after everything that had gone on, but he couldn't, and he refused to sit by idly. He'd already made that mistake once, and he wasn't about to do it again. He wasn't about to let someone else take unneeded responsibility because he couldn't step up and do the right thing. The envelope hadn't left his grasp since she'd given it to him. It burned holes in the chest pocket of every suit, and weighed heavily on him day and night. He barely found a moment when his fingers weren't running over the small ultrasound picture at the tiny thing near the center. But he knew that he couldn't just walk into the Lion's Den; that would never work.

So here he was; in full Green Arrow gear, his bike parked outside the perimeter of the Luthor Mansion. He had managed to avoid any of the guards by the time he found the windows to one of the bedrooms. It didn't matter though. She was on the balcony, staring out over the flat Kansas landscape. Gone was the makeup; the disguise, of Tess Mercer, and left in its presence was nothing but a beautiful woman. He couldn't deny the fact that he'd deserved what he'd done, but in truth, he wasn't sure he'd ever be over her, no matter how hard he tried. She'd been his first real true love; and as such, he'd ruined it, simply from hoping to protect her from the inevitable. Somehow, the Green Arrow or the Billionaire Playboy persona came first as it always did. Lois had been another prime example of love ruined. But what he and Tess had had was something that could never be replaced nor forgotten. Her red hair blew gently in the breeze and she carefully pulled her robe tighter around her body.

"_You won't leave me Oliver," she asked through obvious exhaustion, head resting on his bare chest. His fingers could do nothing more than slip gently through the soft strands of red hair. Her eyes were closed; feigning sleep as one of her hands lay intertwined in his other hand. Long gone were the gentle tears; the only appearance left were the soft streaks that the dim light of the fireplace illuminated._

"_No. I'm not going anywhere."_

_Her head raised and her green eyes lined up to look into his, "Really?"_

_A soft smirk crossed his face as he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, "Really."_

_A smile finally crossed her lips. He felt her body shift tighter against his beneath the blankets. Her head slipped into the crook of his shoulder and her eyes closed once more._

"_I love you Ollie," she sighed before slipping off to sleep. He kissed her forehead again, smiling. Luck; destiny; he'd never believed in it. But then again, he hadn't met anyone quite like her. _

"_I love you Mercy." _

Her green eyes gazed out intuitively and he could only watch her. There was something in her eyes. Something he hadn't seen before or at least in years; sadness, anger, exhaustion, he couldn't tell. She turned around, an audible sigh escaping her lips before she disappeared back into the recesses of the Mansion. He knew he'd get nowhere from here; he'd just needed to know she was ok; even if it was Tess, she still was just as human as he was. Oliver Queen was just going to have to do something that he was horrible at; he was going to have to be patient, and to wait. She'd come to him, somehow, someway, she'd wind back up where it had started and ended. Fate had already branded them mortal enemies thanks to Lex; but this was going to happen, enemy or not. If she didn't come, then he would. One way or another they were going to work something out. That was the only thing he was sure of at this point.

Oliver managed another glimpse to where she had stood before he slipped back into the shadows to find his bike.

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	5. Chapter 4 Pt 1

Disclaimer: Same as always, I don't own anything, and I take no credit for it. Again, thanks if you're reading. Would still love to see some reviews, but I won't complain I guess; not exactly the ship of the century, nor from a prominent author. This is the first part of two; this one is from Tess' perspective, the next one continues from Oliver's POV.

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**Chapter Four: **

_Two Weeks Later: +7 Wks_

Her stomach growled angrily as the men in front of her rambled on about something she likely didn't care about; LuthorCorp business as usual. It had been this way for nearly three hours; three long, boring tedious hours and she could do nothing but think about the little box of chocolate sitting on her desk. By now, it took actual effort to keep her head from falling into her hand to rest. Tess had never realized how truly impatient she could be. Then again, she'd also never been pregnant before.

"Alright gentleman," she quickly sighed, cutting off her own vice president as he babbled on about shareholders, foreign investments and the likes of everything she couldn't have cared less about, "I think that's more that enough for today."

None of the others argued, but their looks of either annoyance or shock were far too obvious as she gathered her things hurriedly and shoved everything into her briefcase. She moved out of the room quickly. Her senses roved in overload; luckily not to the point of wanting to throw up, as it had been for the past few weeks, but she quietly realized that anything and everything had become fair game in the cravings department; well with the exception of anything peanut related; chocolate though, had simply become the one thing that seemed to pile up in front of her most often.

Luckily, it seemed, the morning sickness had finally started to end and she'd finally been able to relax a little bit. But despite her every effort to keep things, business as usual, everything seeming resulted in how concerned she was that she was pregnant. It was mind blowing simply to know that something was growing inside of you and you had no control over it. Sure, she had her days; days where she'd feel almost excited about the prospect of being a mother despite how much everything about her life was going to be ripped apart. Some part of her deep inside, was silently very eager and looking forward to all the changes coming. But there were nights too; nights where she'd sob herself to sleep. Disappointment was the one thing she knew everyone, Lex included despite his lack of actually being there, would show her. There would be no sympathy from anyone. Those were the times she came to regret her situation.

The door to her office seemed entirely too far out of her reach as she scooted past her secretary and pulled on the handle. Tess yanked the door open, tossing her briefcase onto a chair not far from the door. Her entire body relaxed until her eyes rose to her desk, and the figure now seated behind her threw her a grin. A frown crossed her lips as she stopped in place after pushing the door closed.

"Oliver," she sighed, full of sarcasm, "What a surprise."

Tess trailed off and moved towards her desk, dead set on finding her craving. Her eyes searched quickly, realizing that it wasn't where she'd left it, until she finally let her eyes lean on his.

"Looking for this?"

He waved it in front of her teasingly, a smirk crossing his face. All of her muscles tensed, "What gave you that impression?"

"Intuition."

"Really," she sighed, grabbing for it until he pulled it back away from her. He repeated it again and she frowned, "Give me the damn chocolate Oliver."

"You do have an entire drawer full," he joked, still teasing her...as always. Some things never changed; especially when it came to Oliver Queen. He chuckled lightly, handing it to her before standing up from her chair. She yanked it from his grasp, and pulled out a piece as she edged around her desk. It took every ounce of self control to not keep yanking out pieces, even as his gaze rested solely on her.

"You enjoying the view Queen, or do you have a purpose for this intrusion?"

"Maybe a little of both; maybe I just wanted to come check on the competition."

She laughed, taking out another piece and savoring its flavor. Tess could have cared less about Oliver, she had her chocolate, she was done with the meetings for the day, and she had nothing but a clear schedule for the afternoon. One afternoon of freedom, baring any natural disasters, or intrusions.

"Or maybe, you just came to torment me. What do you want Oliver? I do actually have things to do."

He raised his eyebrows, sitting down in the chair across from her desk, "You're schedule looked pretty clear today," he stated silently. She'd been too lost in her German chocolate, the finest LuthorCorp money could import, to notice, or even care about the fact he'd been digging through her things. She wasn't even sure how long she'd been focusing on her possessed hunger until he cleared his throat and she jumped lightly.

"What?"

"Hungry?"

Tess managed a frustrated groan as she tossed the remaining chocolaty goodness back into the bottom drawer for later. Her brow raised, "Seriously Oliver. Just spit it out already or get out."

She assumed it was obvious to everyone around her that she was pregnant; primarily from the fact, that on most days, she had zero patience and zero tolerance. It felt completely obvious to her that she was pregnant; every day. It was one thing or another. Several Interns at the Planet had already learned a lesson the hard way; don't mess with Tess on a painfully hormonal day. Of course, she'd been able to apologize, especially to the one that she had tossed a half-filled paper at from across the office before sending him packing, even though it had ripped gouges in her pride to do so. But on the other hand, she'd developed the inept ability to find any Italian restaurant across town, which wasn't always a bad thing. He crossed his arms across his chest, the smirk disappearing easily, "I'm not going to just sit around and let you do this on your own Tess."

Tess shifted uncomfortably in her chair, "…really? And I suppose that means I'm supposed to keel over and let you tend to my every whim and random craving."

It was obvious he wasn't amused, but she ignored it, trying her best to refocus on the work on her desk. There was plenty of it these day; never ending most of the time. All of LuthorCorp's primary resources were still being expedited into finding Lex, which meant juggling stories and reasons to continue looking for the man, despite him being missing for so many months. Most people had all but given up hope, and truthfully, she didn't blame them. There'd hardly been a straight lead in weeks, let alone an actual sign that he was alive and kicking somewhere. Oliver startled her from her thoughts.

"Dammit Tess, this isn't a joke."

To say she was shocked by Oliver's sudden outburst was an understatement. Her eyes gazed up, half mired in shock. It took a few seconds for her to recover. _Well well, look who finally managed to grow a pair_, she thought, hardly able to grin, despite the truth of it. She figured he'd leave her be, not actually confront her. It was surprising, yet at the same time, she was the tiniest bit happy that he might actually be willing to negotiate; not that she needed him to. Tess was more than capable of handling things on her own as she'd proved time in and time out.

"A joke? You think, that I think this is a _joke_," she murmured, setting down her pen mid signature. Her entire body shook in a mix of frustration and anger

"You're not the one who spent that last four weeks puking your brains out every five minutes at even the mention of food; or yelling at people for _every little thing_. You don't even know how real this is."

She stood up, moving around her desk to face him right out, "A joke was me thinking you could just sit back and let me handle..."

Her movements suddenly felt less fluid, and everything hazy, "...Handle this on..."

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	6. Chapter 4 Pt 2

Disclaimer: Still not mine, but I have fun messing with it nonetheless.

**A/N: **As always, thank you so much for the reviews *hugs* And thanks also to my new reviewer, chipmunk87 _(such a cool pen-name IMHO :)) _Hope you guys enjoy this conclusion to the cliffhanger.

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**Chapter Four: Pt. 2 **

Oliver barely reacted fast enough to grab her before she hit the ground. Her entire body went limp beneath his grasp. Carefully, he lifted her into his arms and carried her across the room, setting her down gently across a small couch beside a window open to the view of Metropolis. Her forehead was clammy with sweat as he brushed his hand carefully over her soft skin. She barely moved despite his touch.

"Mercy?"

His first instinct was that she might need a doctor, until her body began to slowly wake up from its quick shock into unconsciousness. Her eyes slowly flicked open; at first gazing off towards the ceiling before turning to meet his.

"...Let you handle it on your own?" he said quietly, finishing the sentence she'd no doubt started prior to fainting. A cold glare echoed from her face as she slowly sat up, obviously still feeling the effects of passing out through hollowed movements. He moved over to a table and poured her a glass of water. Tess took it from his grasp, refusing eye contact, and began to drink it slowly. Her gaze seemed off in the distance; just as it had the night he'd biked off to Smallville.

"I was wondering how long it would take before you came gallivanting for your damsel in distress Oliver."

He bent down in front of her, forcing those glassy eyes to look at him, "What did you expect me to do? Never mind, you already answered that one."

"I don't need rescued Oliver," she carefully interjected after a brief pause, "Not by you or anyone else for that matter."

Oliver managed to keep his focus on her without getting wrapped up in her words. He knew, somewhere buried beneath whatever magic Lex had worked, or forced, into her mind, Mercy, his Mercy, was still in there. He just had to find it. A task easier said then done with the short temperament that she had developed as of late.

"I wasn't trying to rescue you Tess; far from it. You're the one that passed out. It was more of a right place, right time kind of scenario."

A smirk played at the edge of her lip, "It's always a joke with you isn't it?"

She finished the glass and stood up to retrieve another. Her back remain turned from him as she slowly drank the contents of the glass and he stood back up, thrusting his hands into his pockets.

"Are you ok?"

"Why do you even care?" she mumbled, shuffling back to her desk and dropping down in obvious frustration. He watched her run a hand through her hair before closing her eyes and letting her head rest in her hands, "Shouldn't you be off trying to make my life a living hell from your side of town?"

He felt himself stifle a laugh, "Yea, because I'm just out to completely ruin your life these days. Now who does the world revolve around Tess, because from the way I see it, I don't think it's me."

Oliver looked her over as he forced himself to step closer. She looked up, an obvious tear slipping down her cheek, "You know what, you win ok; just write me a rain check for this argument. I'm not in the mood."

Her hand slipped across her eyes to wipe away the stray tears that refused to stay pent up, "Just go Oliver…seriously."

He swallowed his pride, wanted to let her be, but the stubborn side of him refused to budge from his place, "I'm not leaving until you talk to me Tess. One way or the other, this is happening."

"Dammit Oliver; Just let it go."

Tess looked up, pleading with him, with her eyes and her voice, "Please, just go."

A few more tears slipped down her cheek, even as she tried to hold them back. He moved to the side of her quickly, forcing her to look up at him.

"Let me help you Tess. You don't deserve to have to do this by yourself," he said softly. Slowly, he let a hand move to her cheek, gently caressing away the small drops that remained. She never flinched; never even moved; she only watched as he gently touched the smooth, damp skin. Her body seemed frozen in place, every muscle unable to react, despite the fact that normally by this point; she'd have laid on one helluva slap for his close proximity.

"Yes I do," she whispered, "I deserve all of this."

She pushed his hand away and stood up; obviously juggling with her feelings in her thoughts, "This isn't just something we can make a contract for...it doesn't work..."

"Tess," he murmured impatiently, cutting her off before she had a chance to finish. Her head turned over her shoulder to look at him, a small frown creeping across her face.

"I know. I just, all this; it'll never work Oliver. People see too much in black and white, once, once this all come out... I...As much as I don't want to shut you out, I have to; and you know that."

Oliver let himself looked down at the ground before looking back to her, "You don't have to do anything. Let them Tess, let them talk; it never stopped you from getting this far. And I'm not asking for you to give up anything, because knowing you, that would be a feat impossible to any man. Honestly, if I were any other person on the face of the planet, would you be doing this?"

Tess spun around on her heels, her arms crossed across her chest, "I swear to god Oliver, if you drop down on one knee, I will make sure this heel breaks that pretty face of yours."

He chuckled nonchalantly. The woman never changed; but damn did her moods. He lifted his pockets from his dress pants, showing their emptiness, "I just came to talk."

"Fine; despite how much I know this is going to backfire in my face, we'll talk," she huffed, her cheeks reddening in frustration, "Dinner, at your place; I'll leave a message with your secretary. I hope you can still cook as well as you sweet talk."

He nodded, "I might be able to handle that. You have a deal Ms. Mercer."

She returned to her desk and sat down, letting her gaze return to the work she obviously needed to do. Oliver began heading towards the door, his hand barely touching it.

"Thanks Oliver."

He'd barely heard it, before she cleared her throat, "For catching me when I passed out I mean."

He grinned, "No problem. It's what I'm here for."

Her green eyes followed him out the door before he wound his way out the LuthorCorp building and back into his car. He'd convinced her to negotiate; that was one less bridge they'd have to cross. Now he just had to figure out what to cook for his very pregnant corporate enemy.


	7. Chapter 5

**A/N:**Wow, thank you guys so much for the reviews, suggestions and everything. I really dig that. Oh, and Happy New Year everyone!!!

In honor of the first day of the year, I have the next chapter of my little story here. I apologize for the slowness of the updates, but I've been so busy with life that I've let myself get behind. But I appreciate those of you that are sticking with me :) *hugs* I won't be putting the weeks into her pregnancy because it's way to complicated for me, having never been pregnant, to keep up with how it goes and I don't want to make and major errors. It's only a minor detail really, but I just wanted to let you know.

**cRaZyGuRl093:** Yeah, I totally thought it would be cool to see Tess and Oliver get back together. Thanks for the review.

**SpidervsFly****:** I was actually pondering having it go that way, but I'm kind of a happy ending kind of girl. Though I do have an idea running right now that would be both happy and maybe a little more canon-like. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see where my inspiration comes from, and also thanks for your review as well.

**chipmunk87 & b4_Dawn_101:** Thanks you two for keeping me rolling in the beginning.

Without further adue, here's the chapter. Oh, and Italics are either flashback or thoughts, but you probably knew that. Enjoy!

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**Chapter Five: **

Dinner; of everything she could have come up with, she'd offered to have dinner with him. Rubbing her neck, her eyes scaled the side of the Clock Tower. Drizzle slid down the windshield of the car, until it was quickly wiped away by the blades. The engine hummed gently, her hands gripping the steering wheel with white knuckled ferocity.

"Stupid...Stupid....Stupid!" She yelled, smashing her hands on the steering wheel simultaneously before forcing herself to shut off the engine of the car with a groan. The door squeaked open and she slipped out onto the concrete, slamming it forcefully to ease some of her tension. Tess took a quick glance down as she bounded through the light drizzle. She'd dressed simply; deciding there was absolutely no point in going overboard for a dinner, especially one with her ex that she hadn't, and shouldn't have, been having. Tess couldn't help but notice that despite all the work and effort she'd been taking in making sure she was eating right and exercising, nature was working its magic on her; she was starting to show. Nothing even felt right anymore and she cringed at the thought of entering her closet as the weeks continued.

The ride up seemed to last an eternity. Her crimson red painted fingernails clicked against the railing until he finally opened the door; the full on glaring as she waited, eyes flickering to the unsuspecting camera, probably had prolonged the situation; much to annoyance. At least something smelt good.

"You never can be five minutes late can you?"

She rolled her eyes, "Honestly, how far would that actually get me in life? Besides, I could hardly turn down a free meal from Café de la Queen."

Her glimmer of a smirk was hardly anything extreme, but at least she'd tried. She was trying; whether or not he saw it or not, she was giving it her best. Her eyes couldn't help but mire about the Penthouse, regretfully so; she couldn't help but admire the fact that he'd gone so far for this whole deal, and even more painfully...he didn't look half bad. All while she felt like she'd turned into a balloon as the weeks progressed.

"You didn't think I'd actually come did you?"

He laughed, "Personally, I knew you'd come...considering it was your hasty decision and all..."

_Don't remind me._ He led her over to a dining table, completely admonished in nothing but the finest of everything; and then there was his interesting choice in green candles. For the life of her, she couldn't understand his fetish for the color. Even when they had been together it had been her weapon of choice for jokes of any kind.

"_Honestly Oliver, where do you even find green candles?"_

_The table was filled to the brim with foods of all kinds, leaving her to only grin and laugh at his going overboard with everything. Obviously the Manor's staff had been working double overtime the entire day while he'd been courting her around Star City. No matter how much she tried to instill it into his thick skull that he never needed to do any of this; he wouldn't let her have anything that wasn't the best. _

"_Secret; if I told you, I'd have to kill you," he slyly remarked as he sat down across from her. _

"_Umm hmm, I'm sure. Just like I'm sure those candles are easily purchased by one such as yourself. But still, don't you ever consider what this place look like with some other color, besides...green."_

_He had already lifted his fork, and Tess had barely noted the casual eye-roll, "What can I say, I'm too simple minded to care about color. I'll leave that to you; now eat before it gets cold."_

_She lifted her fork and began sampling everything quietly before she looked up again, trying to suppress a laugh, "So...have you found a way to make green roses yet?"_

"_Mercy..."_

"_Ooo, have I hit a nerve yet green giant?"_

"_I'll get you back for that one," he murmured, tapping his fork in her direction, "...when you least expect it."_

"_I'll be waiting Queen."_

She sat with a small nod as he revealed a platter of...lasagna. But even despite the meal's simplicity, he'd sat it on some type of silver platter. Tess shook her head as he sat down across from her; shrugging.

"You never specified what you wanted. I hope it's on par with whatever they're feeding you in the Lion's Den; I'm defiantly no LuthorCorp chef."

"Very funny," she said, taking a plate from him before carefully cutting it and trying some. She couldn't lie, it was pretty damn good; well a good as lasagna could be classified as. He was eyeing her as she swallowed it, "...glad to see you haven't lost _some_ of your touch Oliver. It tastes fine, so relax."

They ate in practical silence for an eternity; the nervous tension between the two of them so thick she honestly believed not even a machete could cut through it. She'd need Arthur's Excalibur to break through when the time came. Oliver looked up after wiping his mouth. She could see him swallow deeply.

"So...how's...how's the baby?"

She'd never seen his eyes deflect around from her to some other wall or window so quickly. Never had she seen Oliver Queen so nervous about something before; not even in all the time they'd been the 'it' couple. The paper's never covered this side of his life; only the part of it that sold the papers she needed to sell and left a bitter, hard to swallow taste in her mouth more often than not. Part of her wanted to be satisfied; she'd brought him to his knees over something. But she couldn't find any satisfaction, not even despite how irritated she still remained over the whole situation.

"It's fine. I have another ultrasound in a few days."

A pin could have dropped even as he cleared his throat with a nod, "That's good."

"Yeah," she whispered, taking another slow bite and staring at the flickering candle light.

"How are you?" he asked quickly before adding on. Her green eyes moved reflexively back to his, a spot from the flame's light blinding her momentarily.

"I mean, with everything."

"I'm fine. I feel like I weigh a ton, and I still can't keep enough chocolate anywhere," she sighed with a smile, "But I'm fine."

His concern was genuine; her answer as honest as she could be. Some days, she wanted to thank Oliver, despite mood swings, the overabundance of chocolate, and the lack of caffeine, she was perhaps the _slightest_ bit excited at the prospect of being a mother. It wasn't the way it should have been, how it should have come about, but all in all, this was going to happen and of late, she'd been taking the glass as more of half full.

"...Though I think soon enough the board will start forcing me to have afternoon sessions because of the lack of coffee."

"Ah ha; I suppose that could be a problem."

"A problem...more like a catastrophe in all honesty. But nothing I can't handle."

Tess found herself reverting to an old habit; she was biting her lip. Quickly, she finished her last piece and gave him a small nod of satisfaction, "I'll give you credit, it was really good Oliver; and...I mostly came tonight to apologize."

He seemed taken aback, "...For what Mercy?"

"I..."she started, not really realizing how difficult a hurdle this was going to be. The battle with her foolish pride and the truth was on, "...I just wanted to apologize for way I've been treating you. You didn't pick this, and I mean, neither did I but..."

"You can stop. There's no reason for you to apologize. I think we can both say we're pretty even in that department."

"Most defiantly," she acknowledged, still a little unsure as to why he was taking this so well now. Either way, it calmed her nerves about discussing the future, whatever it turned out to be. Tess stood up not long after Oliver as he began to slowly clean off the table. She picked up a few things, and brought them over to where he stood, loading them into a dishwasher carefully. He took them awkwardly from her hands as she moved back across the room and he blew out the candles.

"I still don't get the green candles," she joked, nudging him lightly as the table slowly revealed its true state and she sat down, glass of water in hand, on the couch. He sat down across from her again, glass of wine in hand. A note of remorse crossed over her as she looked down, unconsciously raising a brow, "I'm uhh, thinking about resigning, from LuthorCorp."

"Tess? Seriously, that's a big thing; isn't it a little early to think that big?"

"Frankly; no. I've been starting to question a lot of things lately; especially everything I'm doing at LuthorCorp," she stated nervously; feeling his gaze wholly on her.

"What about Lex?"

His voice was low and she could sense the contention at even mentioning her mentor. The answer was there but it took far longer for her to actually get the answer to come out.

"What about Lex? Everyone who's anyone is looking for him and the best I can get is a Sherpa who _may_ have seen him climbing Everest."

She laughed lightly at the incredulous, but true, claim, "...as much as I'd love to keep looking...I just...he's gone. If he's alive, he doesn't want to be found."

Tess ran a hand nervously through her hair, "Either way, I obviously have some bigger things to worry about than...being completely exhausted and stressed out over business doesn't help things."

Oliver nodded, before looking over his shoulder, "You'll do the right thing; and as much as I want to bite my tongue, I still can't get it through my mind how you wound up at LuthorCorp in the first place."

"I'll save that for a rainy day," she joked softly. Her eyes gently flickered toward the clock, it was getting late, and she was starting to already feel exhausted as it was. The drive back to Smallville was already feeling horrid, "I should go."

He cleared his throat and clattered to his feet awkwardly, "Yeah...I forgot you didn't bring the helicopter."

"I considered it; just in case I had to make a quick exit and all."

His hands rested in his pockets before his eyes widened and he disappeared up his stairs, practically bounding up them as she looked on curiously. A childish expression lined his features as he approached her, at first down the stairs and then across the main floor before returning to his former position, both hands tightly behind his back.

"What's this all about," she questioned, lifting the gate to the elevator. He moved closer to her, shrugging.

"Oh nothing, just forgot I was going to give you something. It should be sufficient payback."

"Payback for what?"

He brought his arms around, revealing a flower of sorts; a rose. But it wasn't just any rose; it was green. The color played with the petals in various shades. Despite it obviously being fake, Tess couldn't help but break into a fit of laughter as he handed it to her slowly, "So, did that get you back..."

She shook her head, "How did you even remember?"

"A story for a rainy day."

Lifting her purse into her hand, she gave him a smile, "Thanks for dinner Oliver; I suppose the next one will have to be at _the Lion's den_."

"I'm willing to take the risk, if you are."

Tess nodded once more, but before she entered the elevator, she stepped closer to him; taking in his overwhelmingly strong presence. She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, "...Thanks again Oliver."

Slowly, she stepped back, watching him wave as the door closed and began whisking her down towards the parking garage. A long sigh escaped her lip as her phone buzzed in her pocket. She lifted it as she carefully made her way through the now chilly conditions.

**[You have one unread text message]**

She found it quickly and could only shake her head and look back up at Queen Tower's presence.

_Anytime Mercy. I had a good time._

It buzzed again in her fingertips as she settled into the cushy interior and started the engine up.

_Text me when you get back to the Den._

One thing was for certain, despite all of her concern and worry about even considering that there might possibly still be something between them; having him there alleviated some of the worry. It still was going to be rough. Oliver, was still, and always was, going to be Oliver. Tess wasn't going to rush into something that in the end she'd regret; but she also wasn't going to be afraid of at least giving him, and herself, a chance.

Baby steps; it was going to plain and simple come down to baby steps and progression. This was both of their problems; no, it wasn't a problem anymore, it was real, it was going to happen. She may have still had many more long and tedious weeks, and plenty more learning to do, but she was going to at least give him the benefit of the doubt. He deserved to have some part of this baby's life; and she wouldn't be the one that denied him that right. Revving the engine, she swerved her way into the light traffic flow; headlights set on Smallville and the night's sleep she rightly deserved.

* * *

_**a/n: **I know that the whole green candle thing isn't like, real, or something, but I hoped it would add a little more perspective. Plus, I've just been trying to find ways to get back at their prior relationship, and the idea for that scene just hit me. **Reviews are love.**_


	8. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** Same as always...

**A:N-** Ok, two words:_ School Sucks._ It yanks away everything creative out of me and sort of threw me into a roadblock in terms of the story. I apologize for the lack of updates, but life has been all but consuming. I'm still really pumped that there are people reading this. I still think it would be cool if more people jumped on the Tollie train, but I guess I can do nothing but wish *wink* Thank you all for reading! You don't know how awesome that is for me.I think I might have my mojo back and a plan, but we'll see. Hang in there, I promise I'm not giving up yet. I hope this chapter is as good as the last, and so you know the second part of the chapter jumps time a little bit, for the sake of time...

For all my reviewers: Yep, I defiantly loved the green thing, it just hit me that maybe he's always like the color. I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate the Green Arrow and reveal Oliver, but I'm not sure how to do it. If you have any suggestions, I'm looking for something :) And I personally think that the Luthor Mansion should have some lion statues, unless it does...then the 'Lions Den' would be even more fitting. Onward to the story!

* * *

Tess had been sitting at her desk, penning, and rewriting what would eventually be her resignation speech. The entire spiel was giving her fits, and this was probably the millionth time she'd rewritten it. Her garbage was full of scraps of half written, and half witted words that didn't nearly express the truth behind her decision. But what was for certain, she was resigning. Her mind was made up as far as that was concerned; despite the fact she felt as though she'd be betraying the one person in the world that had given her the time of day and helped her after everything had come crashing down. She sat her pen down, looking at the entire library surrounding her. It lived, breathed, and felt Luthor. None of it was hers, and she knew that; it was all his. Lex Luthor had saved her life; she owed him her life. She owed it to him and herself to persist through everything and find him; bring him back to where he rightly belonged and needed to be. But lately, it seemed unimportant. She didn't want to give up on him, but she had a new responsibility coming. Certain things that had once been foggy and inky between the two of them were becoming all too clear. Clear enough for her to sever her ties.

Standing up, her hands moved to her achy back before gently moving to her gently rounding abdomen. It had become all too obvious for her to ignore her present state, and the entire city, no doubt the entire world, now knew that Tess Mercer, the Acting CEO of LuthorCorp, was pregnant. She'd made the announcement to the public via press release, rather than trying to face the bumbling face of the media, after telling the Board of Directors out of the blue during their monthly meeting. They'd taken it as reasonably as possible, and little had been mentioned afterwards. Of course, her assistants were still dealing with the orchards of flowers that continued to crop up, even though the announcement had been nearly two weeks prior.

Camera stalking her around as she did her prenatal checks, going to work, or trying to get something to eat were something she wasn't entirely satisfied with, but it came with the territory and it was nothing new. The questions weren't either. Everyone at the Planet and the Inquisitor were itching to know who was the father of her child was, and she hadn't given any suggestion or inclination. She'd been able to tame the Planet and keep everyone in their place pretty quickly. But it didn't mean that the millions of rumors buzzing around about her pregnancy and who the father might have been didn't hurt from time to time. But it wasn't as though she could have shouted to the world that Oliver Queen had gotten her pregnant after she came onto him only to blow him off afterwards. It would hurt, potentially kill, Queen Industries and LuthorCorp together, though it would likely sell more Daily Planet's than she could manage or keep up with. The situation reminded her horribly of Romeo & Juliet, minus the fact, of course, that she was pregnant, and neither of them intended to die for one another's affections. In fact, she doubted there was much affection between the two of them anymore. There had been, sure, but that was long gone.

Tess stared at her reflection, admiring every feature and taking in every thing her body was compensating for by carrying an extra little thing inside her. She frowned lightly.

"I would have done anything for you Lex," she sighed, glaring into it as though she knew he was watching her, "I did everything you ever asked."

She paused taking a moment to look around, feeling anxious anger welling up inside of her, "Not anymore."

Her brows furrowed, "I loved you, you son of a bitch."

She jumped lightly feeling a quick kick against her stomach as the words left her mouth, forcing a smirk out of her deep seeded anger that had seemingly built up over the past few months.

"I guess next time you want me to cover your ears hmm?"

Shrugging, Tess returned to her desk, picking up her pen and taking a deep breath, her free hand still resting on her belly. It was time to make this official. The baby kicked once more and she could do nothing more except shake her head. It was obviously a sign from someone that this decision might actually be the right one, despite how wrong it felt.

"Your right," she whispered, "Neither of us belong here..."

* * *

Oliver looked on in quiet awe. He'd known she was going to do it, heck, she'd told him point blank that she'd been considering it at their dinner. The news was flashing images from the impromptu press conference, given from her familiar office at the Planet earlier in the morning. She looked stressed, nervous, almost to the point of tears. Her calm demeanor seemed to have escaped her as the screen faded for the millionth time from the same fifteen second clip. He'd missed the live one, having been stuck in a meeting, but nonetheless, he imagined it defiantly wasn't the last time it would be on. He couldn't help but stare, ignoring the familiar voice of the business anchor. It made no difference to what she had said, it was just the fact she'd done it. It wasn't every day an acting CEO resigned without suspicion of having done something wrong. Of course, he had no doubt in his mind that there might have been some pressure, some signaling a lot, from LuthorCorp's other powers that be, ever since she'd officially announced her pregnancy to the world. But Tess wasn't one to let others sway her. If she made the decision, it had completely been on her own accord. A knock stirred him from his long gaze.

"Mr. Queen?"

He spun around to find his secretary looking up with a hint of a smile. She quietly handed him a manila folder, "This was dropped off a few minutes ago for you."

"Thank you," he said, taking it before she disappeared back out of the penthouse as quickly as she'd come. He recognized the handwriting, his name, hazily scrawled out across the front of the folder. Oliver quickly pulled it open, yanking out its contents. A handwritten letter, also in the same familiar handwriting, along with a small ultrasound photo, and a few other pieces of paper slipped into his hands.

_I know you've probably seen the news. But I figured I owed you a new photo. All is well on the baby front. I wasn't sure if you wanted to know what it was, so I'll wait until I see you again to tell you, if you want to know that is. I'm moving out of the Lion's Den and into an apartment just outside of Metropolis temporarily. I suppose, after everything, I realize everything that I've done in the past few years was for all the wrong reasons. I think I finally have made the right decision...for once. I'll talk to you soon, as soon as I can get things sorted out. Everything is too complicated and confusing as it is; and besides the Planet is hounding me now. I don't want to drown you in tabloids any more than you already are._

_T.M._

Oliver smirked eying the photo. There was something more than a blob now; it actually looked real and he felt himself smiling, his fingers tracing the delicate figure. It was subtle, he had to admit, but curiosity was getting the best of him. It was scary how much different it felt this time around. The last time, he'd been eighteen, foolish, and irresponsible. Scared likely was an even better term. He'd practically run away after finding out and he'd completely and truly ruined any real chance of getting to know his son, not to mention ruining someone's life practically with all the responsibility that came with kids. It had been his own damn fault; him and his jackass ego. He regretted every moment of that part of his life. All he could do now was to use that as motivation for now. It didn't matter what Tess decided to do, he was going to be involved, one way or another. Oliver could not, would not, and was not going to screw this up again. Not matter what it took; this kid would know who his father was. He wasn't so sure either of them would be up to falling into each other's arms or going back to the relationship they'd once held so dear, and Tess had already made it clear that he marrying her was not an option. It narrowed things down quite a bit. How it was going to work, and making it work were two different things.

The phone rang; Queen Industries' finest beckoning him. He'd been ready to hide away the envelope when something slipped out from the bottom; a bracelet. The shell bracelet was all too familiar as he widened his eyes at the realization of what it was. Why had she up and decided to send it to him? It had been important to her, but now, it sat squarely on his desk before he slipped it into his hand.

"_I gave this bracelet to Megan for her birthday. She was my best friend. She was joking around when she said that she'd wear it until the day that she died."_

Another knock echoed on the door, cracking Tess' pained voice from his head, and the hazy memories of their first encounter, back into hiding behind the things he needed to be focused on. Meeting number three was waiting for him; never a dull moment as CEO. If only things would slow down. One day he'd look back and regret a lot of things because of the double life he led. Quickly, he shoved everything back into the envelope, except the bracelet; he'd be ready for her call when the time came, that was, when she was ready. Slipping it carefully into his desk drawer, he stood up, brushing at his shirt and shutting off the TV, one last glimpse of a furiously shaken ex-CEO fading into oblivion.


	9. Chapter 7

_**A/N: **__So, here's the next installment. I hope you all find it to be satisfactory for this W.I.P story. This chapter is a wee bit on the suggestive side, so I bumped up the rating, just to play on the safe side. But there's nothing graphic, because honestly, I'm not that great with that._

_Anyone like Tess on Smallville last night? I know this has been a little slow, but I was lacking direction, but I think I'm getting steered on the right course now...*crosses fingers* Thanks, as always, to my readers. You rock! I don't own the poem at the beginning, but it was my inspiration here._

_I need suggestions on the whole "Green Arrow" issue. I'm not sure how to reveal Ollie's double identity, so...that's my challenge to you guys for when you review._

_**cRaZyGuRl093-**__ Thanks! And yea, I figured that Tess would have to own up to the press, but I didn't think her speech would be all that important. I'm sure you'll enjoy the Tollie interaction of this chapter too!_

_**b4_Dawn_101-**__ Yep, school is horrid for creativity, but I'm managing *wink* I hope you are too. I'm so glad people think I'm getting their characterization right, especially for Tess considering so little we've seen of her on the show. Though she's becoming a little more 3 dimensional now than when I first started._

_**ParadiseSummer-**__ I was feelin' the same thing. Your wish is my command. I hope this soothes your physical-ness craving...Thanks for the love as well! _

_

* * *

"Wild Nights! Wild Nights!  
Were I with thee,_

_Wild Nights should be  
Our luxury!_

_Futile the winds  
To a heart in port,--_

_Done with the compass,  
Done with the chart._

_Rowing in Eden.__  
Ah! The sea!__  
Might I but moor  
Tonight in thee!" –__**Emily Dickinson "Wild Nights"**_

Tess had drifted to sleep in his arms. Her red hair sprawled about gently on the pillow beside him; her body covered by little more than a sheet and a thin green blanket from his bed. She seemed entirely too content; one hand resting on her stomach beneath his own, the other underneath her pillow and out of sight. Her bare back pressed against his chest. He didn't want to move; didn't want to give up this moment. When she'd come earlier, under the cloak of darkness and up a very large flight of stairs, she'd looked exhausted, and worn out. Tess had simply needed an out. This all had probably been a mistake; not that they could actually regret it. Nothing more could come out of it, seeing as she was already pregnant and all.

She'd needed him tonight, just like she'd needed him all those years ago. The press had become so reckless and relentless. They stalked her, hungry for the scent of fresh blood; hounding her so much that he'd started making a few phone calls of his own just to get them off her back. Of course she hadn't asked, and she hadn't said a word. If there was anything she didn't need more of, it was stress. The doctor had apparently made that clear to her; for both her and the baby's sake.

He lifted his head, gently kissing her temple. Her head moved lightly before she pulled up tighter against him, her face contorting into a sort of a grimace. Her hand moved carefully, lifting his hand methodically until it rested just to the side of her belly button. Then he felt it. It was quick, sudden; nothing more than a jolt.

"Practically David Beckham," she murmured sleepily, a grin crossing her face; eyes never opening as she yawned. He grinned as it happened again, a little stronger than the first, "Now he's just showing off for you."

"He?"

Her green eyes blinked up, a smile crossing her face, "Didn't I mention that earlier? Somewhere between the impromptu arrival and dinner..."

Oliver shook his head, grinning through his own exhaustion.

"Oops."

She turned to face him, grinning as she let a hand meander its way up his chest before gently tracing his face with her fingertips, "Thank you."

Her lips met his again, gently; green eyes hungry and full of need, and desperately pent up emotion. When they finally separated, he put two fingers across her lips just as she looked ready to say something. Instead, he pulled her closer, until her head rested against his chest, both of them staring up at the ceiling before looking to one another.

"A boy huh?"

She nodded eagerly, lips curled into a smirk as he let her lips move just beside his ear. Her breath against his neck sending chills down his spine, "...and it's all your fault," she whispered playfully.

"It takes two to tango," he replied, letting his hands run down her to her hips mischievously.

"I'm very aware of that fact now."

"Are you? Because I don't think you are."

Tess sat up, clutching the sheet against her exposed skin, hovering just beside him, "...really, because I think I'm the one that's pregnant, it's really quite obvious now."

He sat up beside her, nuzzling against the soft skin of her neck until he just barely hovered centimeters from her face, "You probably are the chattiest pregnant woman I've ever met."

"The pregnant part is still partially you're fault."

"I think it's clear the art of seduction...and well karma, have come back to get us both... I'd argue that we both contributed, but this is obviously a losing argument. So how do I make it up to you?"

She rolled her eyes up, faking a thought before she sat up, "Oh...I don't know..."

* * *

_Several Hours Prior_

"I should have called," she murmured for the millionth time as he let her in the door to the Penthouse. It was after hours of course, and he was wondering why the hell she'd scaled the stairs instead of just coming up the elevator like he'd told her to do. Stubbornness ran flagrant in the world it seemed.

"Tess…relax," he finally managed, placing both hands on her shoulders and looking her dead into the eyes with a thin smile. Tess nodded as her shoulders slumped beneath his grip and she let out a deep breath, "Come on...sit down before you hyperventilate," he joked. She followed him slowly, pace by pace until she was sitting on his couch, drinking from a glass of water, a small smirk peering from behind the glass.

"I still should have called," she murmured, "...But I was going stir crazy, honestly. I'm...well, I guess I'm bored, and I'm sick of having to sneak around just to look at stupid furniture and to..."

"Tess!"

She jumped lightly, sinking back into the couch, "I know. Can I blame this on being pregnant?"

Oliver grinned as she blew out a long sigh and closed her eyes, "I feel like an overgrown cantaloupe."

"Looks like you ate a watermelon."

Her eyes popped wide open as he broke out laughing. Before he could see it, she hurled a nearby pillow his way. Of course, he caught it, as she shook her head, blushing a light shade of pink. Tess Mercer had mellowed out so much since leaving LuthorCorp. If he could have sworn it, she was acting like a much better, yet older and wiser version, of the Tess he'd remembered so well; not the Tess that had literally thrown him out; not that he didn't partially deserve it or anything. She looked up at him attentively, perhaps expecting him to return the favor, but he didn't. Instead he handed it to her, which she promptly laid back in its former place and let her head rest upon it, simply staring at the ceiling.

"Are you hungry?"

Her head popped up, "Are you offering me food?"

"Do you always have to answer a question with a question?"

She nodded proudly, "Why not?"

Shaking his head, he disappeared into his bedroom quickly to order some food. When he returned, he found her pressed against the window and gazing out over Metropolis. A small faded smile rested on her face.

"Foods on its way…"

"I still should have called," she murmured, never letting her gaze fall off the twinkling horizon. The sun was barely a memory now, and night time was stealing the scene.

"You should have taken the elevator…that's what you should have done."

Tess flipped on her heels, approaching him slowly "Hey, I'm pregnant, not incapable. Besides, with the calorie intake it takes to feed two, it was worth it."

Her hands slipped into her jeans, pulling out an angrily buzzing cell phone.

"Damn bloodhounds. Things look a whole lot different from across the street; I'm seriously thinking that this whole 'change of heart' thing has made me something more interesting to talk to than even you; and that's a tough record to break. Especially considering _your _track record."

"I wasn't the one printing the social section."

"…and I wasn't half drunk at a club, for like a month."

Their distance had closed substantially, and for once, he'd noticed, she wasn't moving.

* * *

Tess couldn't help but let her eyes wander as Oliver approached. It was true. He'd practically spooned his way with a cocktail waitress when they'd been together, and she'd caught him; just one of the many factors that had led to their downward spiral. But she couldn't lie to herself; since finding herself pregnant and in the entire situation she was now in, part of her couldn't help but yearn for the safety and security she'd once found in his arms all those years ago. She'd tried to replicate the same feelings with Lex; and he'd shown her more than enough affection, at least in his own way…but as far as she could tell, Lex Luthor had never loved her. At least not in the way she'd wanted him to love her. She'd just been another pawn in his game.

"At the Planet, that first day…"

"After you bought Star City Towers out from underneath me?"

Her eyes rolled, "…ok, pent up anger much? As I was saying, you gave me that whole...more than a mentor spiel, about me…and Lex."

She watched him nod, eyes diverting from the topic. Oliver hated Lex; it didn't take rocket science to smell the bad blood.

"You were right; in a sense," Tess muttered, not feeling quite as stressed as she had before. Practicing in front of a mirror had never been her forte, but then again, she'd never intended to tell Ollie this either. Something told her she had to do this.

"…after you left. I don't know…things were just different. I tried to be someone I wasn't."

"How did Lex come into the whole picture?"

"I got hired at LuthorCorp…anyways, I got into an accident of sorts, working on collecting samples in South America. Well...it's an even longer story that I don't care to tell. But he was there to pick up the pieces."

Thoughts mired her words, jumbling everything as she glared at the floor, "Things just went from there. I thought I loved him. Somehow I have a habit for playing Maid Marion and falling in love with Robin without thought. It took me far too long to realize that I wasn't anything more than a tool…and I could see where you would never…never trust me. But, I just don't want…"

She took a step forward. It almost felt unconscious, "…I can't do this by myself. As hard, as that is to admit."

Her phone vibrated again in her hand, "…I can't, and I won't. You don't deserve that, and I want to give this a chance; whatever _it _is."

Tess could have sworn a smile flickered over his lips, even though he managed to disguise it behind a smirk. At some point, they'd strayed to the middle of the living room, no more than a few feet separating them. Oliver pulled the cell-phone from her hand, gently brushing over her skin and sending a soft chill racing up her arm and down her spine.

"Then don't. I told you'd I'd help you. I was just waiting for you to wake up and realize I was telling the honest to god truth."

The phone quickly shut off with a few key strokes and he tossed it onto his desk along with his own Blackberry. Her heart was wrought with ache. It hadn't occurred to her how lonely she truly was. Tess Mercer was pregnant, alone…and of all things, afraid. At the Luthor Mansion, she'd been alone, but the constant drone and comings and goings of the workers at least kept the boredom to a minimum. But now that she was practically hiding just outside of Metropolis, everything felt different in every aspect of her life.

"That's good to know," she whispered, unknowingly closing the gap between them. Her eyes gaze pensively into his, soaking them in as if for the first time, "I was wrong..."

"I don't know what you mean Mercy."

For a moment, she let her gaze drop, "Wrong in thinking I ever stopped caring about you..."

His hand connected with her chin softly before forcing her to look up at him gently. Her voice barely managed to escape her lips; the words stuck in motion in her brain and locked in her throat.

"...and wrong in thinking that anyone could love me the way you did."

Tess felt herself trembling beneath his gaze as his hand eased across her cheek and sunk slowly into her hair. She carefully let her hand reach up and press against his.

"Tess..."

The buzzer to the elevator separated them, and she felt herself sigh internally. His lips pressed against hers softly before he pulled back, grinned, and wordlessly let in the delivery boy who'd brought in the food that he'd ordered.

* * *

The leftover containers of dinner were practically left abandoned in the kitchen. The soft drone of music reveled its way through the spacious penthouse. The occupants barely noted anything around them, completely lost in one another. Tess tried to reason that this wasn't how she should have been going about things, but honestly, what did she have to lose? Oliver's shirt had been lost at some point between dinner and slow dancing around the marble floor. Her hand rested against his warm chest, feeling the rise and fall of his breathing as she tried to control her own. Their lips were locked in a painfully slow dance that only made her body ache more for the Adonis she'd once called hers.

"Oliver," she managed, parting to catch her breath. Her hand rested on his cheek, as a grin surpassed her lips. He didn't seem in the least fazed by her sudden pause and proceeded to, despite her obvious tone, let his testosterone rage. She could only roll her eyes, completely enjoying the attention he was giving her, even though she really did want to say something. _Some _things didn't change...at all.

"Ollie. You don't...this...I can go. It'd be a whole lot less..."

He pressed his finger against her lips, stopping her, "Complicated? That's what you were going to say weren't you?"

She nodded. Propped against the wall, he bent down to her stomach, letting his ear rest against it for a moment before edging to her side, "Did you hear that...your mom talks too much. What...you agree? Oh, and you think it's already complicated enough. Hmm...what's that...you think she should relax..."

Tess giggled, nudging him as he stood back up, "Relax huh? I thought that's what I was doing."

His cool hands ran along her stomach tenderly before withdrawing back into her own.

"I don't think you are," Oliver whispered, taking her hand into her own and pulling her against him as best he could. Obviously, he wasn't even concerned at the fact he had to work around their little creation as they worked their way up the stairs. His bedroom; it didn't occur that she'd never seen it until now. The familiar hue of green made her laugh even more.

"Are you sure...you..."

The quick motion of his hands answered her question as his hands slowly began to thumb the buttons of her blouse off, reconnecting his lips and her heart in the process. Regret quickly became the last thing on her mind as want and need devoured her core.


	10. Author's Note

Friends, Romans, fellow Tollie Fans...Lend me your ears, well I mean your eyes of course.

First and foremost, I want to apologize for my sincere lack of updates. Unfortunatly being a senior in high-school (only 41 days to go!), and prepping for college killed my time that I had intended to continue on this story. Life has an unfortunate way of doing things like that.

But never fear, I am not a quitter, never have been & never will, and I WILL at all costs continue this story! I definatly knew there were a few of you out there reading and reviewing, which I sincerly appreciate, especially the wannabe screenwriter/writer part of me, and I feel horrible that I've left you and those who've read but haven't reviewed, hanging.

So if you guys will hold on and have a little patience, though I know nearly three months of waiting has probably strained that thin, I will get Tess & Oliver's continuing romance back up to par! I'm including in this note, and praying that I haven't broken any rules, a small blurp of what might be the future for our lovely & powerful couple. I warn you, it's a bit on the depressing side, but I hope it makes up for my lack of updates. BTW, it by no means is what officially will happen in this story to them, though some of the concepts will be pulled over, I was just inspired awhile back and this was the result. _[Warning: Character Death]_

xoxo Green Arrow Girl (Your deeply apologetic "Winds of Destiny" author)

* * *

**One Shot:**

Tess pushed her hair over her shoulder, pulling her purse tighter against her before heading out the wide double doors.

"Good night Ms. Mercer," the security guard mumbled; she tossed a quick smile, and slowed her pace substantially.

"You too Jim."

Looking around, the night was eerily calm; at least compared to most Star City nights. It was hard to believe that three long years had passed since she'd left Metropolis. Three years since she'd given everything up that had been handed to her. She'd given up LuthorCorp, given up on Lex and anything they'd had, and for whatever dumb reason (blame it on the hormones), up and moved to Star City to have her baby; their baby. A smile crossed her face as she opened her cellphone, bright green eyes and a shock of blonde hair that was Christian Robert Queen staring back at her. To say that she'd been lucky to even survive nine months had been an understatement considering she'd nearly died having him. It was a cursed nightmare, to think that she'd almost died because of a mistake.

But, to say her mind and opinion had changed, he hadn't been a mistake. It had been fate; simply fate. She fumbled through her purse, snapping her phone shut with a sigh and began to quickly rummage through her purse for the keys. They should have been there, yet they continued to elude her fingertips.

"Little late for you to be away from you son, don't you think...Ms. Mercer?"

The cold voice echoed whiningly through the parking garage. She spun around partially in surprise.

"Or is it Queen now? The papers can't seem to make up their minds as to whether you've actually married the famous Oliver Queen or not. You're not wearing a ring...so that's probably a good sign."

The voice was too distinct; too fresh in her memory. Squinting through the darkness, she could barely make out his figure in the darkness.

"Lex?"

"Glad to see I'm not forgotten in that traitorous mind of yours."

"I never betrayed you Lex; you did more than enough of that between the two of us."

He grinned; the moonlight creeping through an opening and reflecting off his bare head. It reflected off of something else; but she could hardly make it out.

"What do you want Lex?"

"What do I want," he murmured aloud, repeating her as he began slowly circling her like a lion ready to pounce upon its prey, "What I want is to know why you walked right back to the man that left you broken and defeated Tess? Don't think I know what happened, because, low and behold, everyone knows that Tess Mercer walked away from the biggest, and best might I say, investment of her life because she couldn't keep her legs closed around one playboy billionaire. How is your 3 year old spawn?"

Tess could barely bite her tongue; glaring, "Don't talk about him like that."

Another smirk; he was pushing her; pushing her buttons purposely, "Sorry I missed the invitation to his birthday; but I'm sure he gets everything his cute little heart desires."

"Honestly Lex; did you come all the way to Star City to taunt me?"

"There's my Tess; straight to the point."

She could hear the click and she could do nothing but gulp. Her fingers fumbled for her cell phone but his nodding as he stalked closer, sent a jolt of realization through her mind.

"Don't do this Lex. It's been three years. I did what I did because I had to."

"Survival of the fittest Tess; I'm sure you understand the concept. Something you, your son"s father, and I all share freely. The one thing we share I might add. Sometimes, we have to do what's best for business. Honestly, it's nothing personal..."

"Lex...please."

His arm rose in front of him, leaving her frozen in place despite the warmth radiating from the air around her, "Please..."

"I'm sorry...Mercy..."

The moments passed quickly as the echo of the discharged swarmed around her. Her eyes could barely dispense the pain as it quickly worked its way through her body. She dropped to the concrete, holding her chest all the while knowing that he'd hit exactly where he'd intended. Her cell phone fell from her grasp, opening. Christian's face stared back at her as she struggled to breathe.

A creak and the blasting of footsteps barely comprehended in her conscious until the gentle smell of leather crept through her conscious. A wave of nostalgia passed over her as he tightly clutched her chest, the blood spilling freely from the wound. He said nothing, but through the modifier, she could sense his panic through his labored breathing. A smile crept across her face as her hand reached up; she shakily removed the sunglasses that barely concealed his real identity.

"Always...playing my....my white knight?"

He looked down on her, lines of concern and fear echoed brightly through the darkness, "Only because you always need rescuing."

She could feel him preparing to lift her; jog her off to salvation, but the warmth spreading from the wound let her tense muscles relax, "Don't Oliver," she whispered, every ounce of desperation, and fear, seemingly washing away, "Just...don't let go."

"Tess you need..."

"I know," she whispered, her voice fading lightly in her throat, "I know."

Her hand gently tugged him closer, and he followed her signal, "Keep him safe; take care of him Oliver...please, promise me."

"Tess..."

"Promise?"

His eyes were glassy; far more than she liked, "I promise Mercy."

"Good," she sighed, the energy washing away in waves, "...good."

One last smirk escaped her lips as he pulled her tighter against him, her head resting in his lap as he brushed her hair gently from her face with the gentle leather.

"Hang on Mercy. Hang on for Christian," he whispered; choking out the words under his modifier's capability, "You can't leave him...us..."

She smiled her last gaze upon his soft features as she weakly let a hand tread across his features until it came to a rest against his chest, where his heart rested, "...always here," she whispered, as a tender warmth enveloped her into the most comfortable sleep of her life. Fate had brought them together on that island, for her to save him and for him to save her; just as it had brought them Chris three years prior. It had been fate that here, in his arms, in the arms of her hero, her savior, the father of the most wonderful little three year old ever, and the man that she never could seem to get rid of...that she would die.


End file.
